Fla. man kidnaps son, uses him as human shield against police

By Ashley Silver

PALM COAST, Fla. — A man is behind bars facing a kidnapping charge after taking his son from home and using the infant as a human shield against officers when they tried to apprehend him.

According to the Florida Jolt, authorities were called to a home due to a suspected child abduction. Once they arrived, they were informed by the infant’s mother that her boyfriend, Brandon Loehner, had taken their baby and left the home armed with a pistol.

Loehner, 27, caught the officers’ attention while swerving recklessly through lanes and driving into the median with this vehicle. Police attempted to stop the car, which turned into a pursuit that ended with the suspect exiting the vehicle at a local McDonald’s.

Video shows Loehner fleeing on foot, only to be cornered by officers near the drive-thru. He is seen thrusting the infant in front of his body, using the crying child as a human shield against officers and ignoring their commands.

A deputy was able to tase the suspect and grab the baby, as the man continued to resist arrest on the ground. Through this video, you can hear the young child calling for his dad as police attempt to arrest him. He was eventually subdued with the help of a K9 officer.

“Here is a case of a domestic situation turning violent, putting a 1-year-old child and innocent drivers in danger,” Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly told Florida Jolt. “Deputies were confronted with a very chaotic situation and a very combative individual that was putting his child at risk by using the child as a shield. Our deputies did everything they could to quickly rescue this child safely from a madman and apprehend the suspect. Fortunately, the child was not hurt, and quickly reunited with his mother.”

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